Collected photo

DHAKA, June 22, 2025 (BSS) - National Citizen Party (NCP) Convenor Md Nahid Islam today said the party's decision on participating in the upcoming election depends entirely on the interim government's reform efforts. 

"Our top priority remains reform. The decision to join the election will depend on how those reforms progress," Nahid told reporters after meeting Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin following the submission of NCP's application for party registration.

Nahid said the party's current political focus centers around the "July Charter," reforms, the formation of a constitutional convention, and a clear roadmap for justice.
 
"As part of a lawful and systematic political process, parties must apply for registration and fulfill the necessary conditions. We are doing just that. However, our core priority remains ensuring meaningful reforms and justice," he stated.

Expressing optimism, NCP Leader said, "We have submitted our application today to the Election Commission after fulfilling all necessary requirements. NCP has established committees in 105 upazilas and 25 districts."

"We have provided all the required documents. We hope to receive registration at the earliest and reach out to the people as a registered party," he added.

Nahid also added that the party has proposed for three electoral symbols - Shapla (water lily), Pen and Mobile phone - with the Shapla symbol as the first preference. 

"We believe Shapla, a familiar symbol across rural Bangladesh and an emblem of our people's uprising will be granted to us. With this symbol, we will continue our work among the people and participate in future elections," said Nahid.

Speaking about the meeting with the CEC, Nahid said, "We exchanged greetings and raised the issue of voting rights for expatriates. We urged that the voting rights of overseas Bangladeshis must be protected at all costs."

"While the Election Commission hasn't finalized the process yet and they assured us that a mechanism will be introduced soon," Nahid added.

Responding to a question, he said there are no legal barriers to making the Shapla as an election symbol.

 "We reviewed the existing laws and found no objection to the Shapla symbol. The national fruit jackfruit is already allotted to a party, so we see no reason why Shapla should be restricted. We have also discussed this matter with the Election Commission," he added.

NCP's Chief Coordinator Nasir Uddin Patwari, Chief Organizer (Northern Region) Sarjis Alam, and Chief Organizer (southern region) Hasnat Abdullah were also present on the occasion.

Earlier, a team of NCP leaders led by NCP Convenor Nahid Islam and Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain, submitted its application for official registration as a political party to the Election Commission (EC), seeking three symbols for its electoral identity, with the 'Shapla' (Water Lily) as its first preference around 4:00pm today.

"We have just submitted our application for party registration by fulfilling all the requirements under the Representation of the People Order (RPO). The Election Commission has received our application and issued us a receipt," said Akhter Hossain.

The other two requested symbols are 'Pen' and 'Mobile Phone', though the party has clearly expressed its strong preference for 'Shapla'. 

NCP is fully prepared to participate in the electoral process and looks forward to being officially registered as a political party eligible to contest the upcoming parliamentary elections, Akhter added.

Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwari, Chief Coordinator (Northern Region) Sarjis Alam, Senior Joint Convenor Samanta Sharmin and other leaders and activists were also present during the submission.

"On August 5, the people of Bangladesh achieved a historic victory through a mass uprising. In the coming parliamentary elections, that same spirit will carry the NCP's 'Shapla' symbol to a sweeping victory across the country. Under NCP's leadership, we will form a new, inclusive government," said NCP Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwari.

The National Citizen Party (NCP) officially launched on February 28, 2025, in the aftermath of the July-August 2024 mass uprising, which led to the fall of the long-standing fascist Awami League government. 

With the deadline for registration applications ending, a number of new political parties crowded the Election Commission (EC) office today to submit their documents, with at least two dozen parties summitting their applications.

Parties that secure registration from the EC will be eligible to contest under a designated symbol.
 
The EC had originally invited applications from interested parties on 10 March. By the 20 April deadline, 65 new political parties had submitted applications. Following appeals, including one from NCP, the EC extended the deadline by two months to 22 June. That extended deadline ended today.

According to current laws and regulations, applicants must submit 10 types of information along with their forms and a non-refundable Tk5,000 registration fee.

To qualify, a party must have an active central office and an effective committee in at least one-third of the administrative districts. It must also show documented support from at least 200 voters in each of 100 upazilas or metropolitan police stations.

Applicants must also submit their party's constitution, electoral manifesto (if any), rules and regulations (if any), logo, flag, full list of central committee members, bank account details, and most recent bank statement on party letterhead.

The EC will begin scrutinising the applications after submission. If a party fulfils all conditions, it will be issued a registration certificate with a designated electoral symbol.